Description

CLOPTON GRUNDISBURGH ROAD
TM 25 SW
(East Side)
8/21 Church of St. Mary
16/3/66
G.V. II*

Church. Early C14 and C15 with additions and alterations of c.1883. Flint
rubble with ashlar dressings and a slate and plaintile roof. Nave,
chancel, south western porch-tower and north-eastern organ chamber. Tower:
south face: diagonal buttresses which die back into the corners by 4
offsets. Central porch arch with triple chamfer to sides. The inner two
chamfers developing into ogee and cavetto moulds to the arch. Ashlar band
below the level of the first stage window which is rectangular with a
double-chamfered ashlar surround. Further band at sill level of belfry
opening which is of 2 lights with cinquefoil heads and with Perpendicular
tracery above. String course with central gargoyle below the parapet which
is battlemented and has ashlar coping. East face: no doorway but otherwise
similar, save for angle buttress at right. West face: similar to east
face, the angle buttress here at left. North face: adjoins nave to lower
body but with similar belfry opening. Nave: south face: tower-porch at
left and to right of this a Perpendicular window of 2 cinquefoil-headed
lights with panel tracery, a C19 replacement. Buttress to far right which
dies back via 2 offsets. North face: 3 bays, rubble walling with some
brick patching above the heads of the windows and lines of tiles. Left
hand window of 2 lights, Y-tracery. The other 2 windows of C19 early-
Perpendicular form of 3 lights with cinquefoil, ogee heads and panel
tracery. Between the bays and at left are projecting buttresses, each with
2 offsets and ashlar dressings. White brick dressings to left hand
buttress. A diagonal buttress to right hand corner. Slate roof with
decorative ridge tiles. West face: diagonal buttresses dying into the
corner by 2 offsets. Central 3-light Perpendicular window with cinquefoil
heads and panel tracery. Chancel: rebuilt c.1883. South face: 2 bays, the
windows each of 2 lights with cinquefoil ogee heads and quatrefoils to the
apexes. Priest's door between these with pointed arched head and ovolo
moulded surround. North face: masked at right by the organ chamber which
is a lean-to temporary structure. To left of this is a similar 2-light
window to those seen on the south face. East face: central 3-light
Decorated window with cinquefoil heads and daggers to either side of three
encircled quatrefoils.

Interior: Porch: doorway to the church is double-chamfered, the inner
arches having ogee and cavetto moulds. Nave: roof of 8 bays of hammerbeam
construction, the wall posts terminating in shields showing the emblems of
the passion and linked to the hammerbeams by arched braces which have
carved spandrels. Connecting the hammerbeams and collars are lengthy
arched braces which connect to the lower side of the collar beams, from
which spring king posts, rising to the ridge beam. Angels bearing shields
to the ends of the hammerbeams mostly C19 and imitating 2 which appear to
be of C17. Two sets of heavily moulded purlins and a richly moulded
cornice which has bead and billet moulding. The undersides of the arched
braces, principals, collars and hammerbeams are also richly moulded. The
chancel arch has semi-octagonal columns which rest on richly moulded
vigorously carved C19 corbels. C19 chancel roof of similar hammerbeam
construction as the nave roof. Font: Octagonal bowl on octagonal stem and
step which has 2 quatrefoils to each face of the riser. Bowl has
quatrefoil panels, each with a central shield.

Sources: Nikolaus Pevsner, Buildings of England: Suffolk.1974
H. Munro Cautley, Suffolk Churches, 1982

Listing NGR: TM2211252575

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17546666

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

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